ISU pushes sustainability, several projects in progress

Indiana State University's new institute for Community Sustainability continues to implement sustainable solutions while raising awareness.

"There are a number of problems building to a head right now: global climate change, peak oil and job issues are a few among them," executive director for the Institute of Community Sustainability, Jim Speer said, "all of which can be solved with sustainable solutions."

Indiana State University plans to be carbon neutral by 2050 and has been working to reduce carbon emissions and its overall carbon footprint since the 1990s, according to ISU's 2010 Climate Action Plan.

"We're at 53 percent of our 1990 carbon emission levels, which is better than pretty much any institution you look at out there," Speer said.

Awareness throughout campus is one of the first steps being taken to reach specific goals. According to a 2010 ISU survey, student awareness of ISU sustainability projects appears to be highly varied. Junior architectural design major Kendra Martin represents roughly 60 percent of the students polled in being able to name at least the Recycling Center when asked about ISU projects relating to sustainability. Junior construction management major Trevor Gregory, however, represents the 27 percent of students polled who knew of no projects.

To list a few projects: ISU established the Recycling Center in 1989, converted its coal powered steam plant to a natural gas powered plant in 2001, built a community garden in 2007 and installed a green roof in Rankin Plaza in 2010. ISU is currently wrapping up its wind data collection aimed at determining where to place a wind turbine later this spring.

"We've already done a lot of the easy things," Speer said in relation to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. "But one thing we haven't done much with is behavior change, and that's something that we're starting on right now."

Making students, faculty and staff aware of sustainability issues and getting them to change their behavior is a major focus for how we can solve these problems, and in turn improve the quality of life on campus, Speer said.

Major events aimed at changing student behavior include ISU's participation in the nation-wide university competitions Recylclemania and the Energy Conservation Competition. Not only do the residence halls participating compete against other residence halls, the university as a whole competes against all of the other participating universities.

"Last year ISU saved over 22,000 dollars as a result of our participation in the Energy Conservation Competition," Speer said. "However, we need to carry over these behavior changes beyond the competition."

For instance, a 2010 ISU honors class conducted a student survey regarding dorm room behavior.

"It would not be an uncommon response for students to say that they left TVs, stereos and lights on for 24 hours a day," Speer said. "The problem is that there's no incentive for them to turn it off, we really need sustainable thinking to become part of the culture. We need sustainable behavior be the popular behavior."